


The Hanging Tree

by MaggicSorceress



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Depressing, Heavy Angst, I mean it, I took this song a tad too liberally whoops, JUST, M/M, Suicide, This is rough guys, i never specified if this was human or not, it could be either seeing how Reaper's powers work, overall depressing, stay away if this stuff triggers u
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:49:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23490442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaggicSorceress/pseuds/MaggicSorceress
Summary: Geno never thought he was worthy of what he had.Not even once.
Relationships: AfterDeath - Relationship, Geno/Reaper, Reaper/Geno
Comments: 16
Kudos: 31





	The Hanging Tree

**Author's Note:**

> So...  
> I meant to write something for Error's birthday, because I love him and wanted to do that, but evil kermit held a gun up to my head and told me to fucking write this instead so yah  
> Happy Birthday Error, here's your brother killing himself smh

**_Are you, are you, coming to the tree?_ **

Often times, Geno found it near impossible to fall asleep. Even wrapped in the warm embrace of his fiancé, sleep often evaded him to the point where continuing to lay where he was, regardless of how comfortable it was, annoyed him and filled him with the need to get up and do something productive.

**_Where they strung up a man they say who murdered three._ **

At first, he would silently slip out of bed, slightly amused at how Reaper would curl around a pillow to replace his spot in his arms, and wander to the living room. He’d read a book, or watch a show with the volume almost on mute, but soon even that became too mundane and he grew restless. Eventually, he started cleaning during that time, but even he couldn’t be silent enough to avoid waking Reaper. The other was a heavy sleeper on the best of days, and a light sleeper on the worst.

When Reaper realised it was a recurring thing for Geno to wander around the house when he couldn’t fall asleep, he suggested an alternative. One that they had been doing for months now.

**_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be_ **

Geno could honestly say late night walks with Reaper were his favourite thing in the world, when the air was cool and slightly breezy, and the world was quiet save for the crunching of their footsteps over twigs and the sound of crickets.

The woods near their home that they took their walks in was as pleasant as it was slightly unsettling. The trees were old and towering, stretching out to the infinite void of space as if they would be able to brush the inky darkness with the tips of their branches and hold that colour like a paintbrush. The trails they walked were overgrown with bushes and, on spring nights, they blossomed into small pale flowers with yellow veins running from carpel to the tips of the petals.

**_If we met at midnight in the hanging tree._ **

Moon flowers, as Reaper had told him. They were one of his fiancé’s favourite flowers.

**_Are you, are you, coming to the tree?_ **

He let himself fully admire their beauty as he walked quietly, a phantom warmth by his side.

But Reaper wasn’t with him tonight. For good reason.

**_Where a dead man called out for his love to flee._ **

_Reaper_. His wonderful fiancé, something he, three years ago, would have never associated with the man. Reaper could be annoying, he’d been with him long enough to say that for certain, but he was also incredibly endearing, and he loved Geno with every ounce of his soul, and Geno loved him too.

Fondly, upon looking at the flowers more closely, they reminded him of Reaper. The pale petals, the same shade of ivory as his skin, the way they almost appeared to glow in the semi-darkness of the night and drew the attention of all who were lucky enough to see their brilliance under the light of a full moon.

But Reaper wasn’t with him tonight.

**_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be_ **

Reaper awoke, in a drowsy sort of way, to find the sheets next to himself cold. It wasn’t an odd occurrence, but it still made him frown. Normally, Geno woke him and asked him to go on a walk with him. They were never out long, Geno felt bad about waking him up, but they always went together.

Positive that, that hadn’t changed, Reaper rose from the bed and pulled a hoodie on over his head. He wandered out of their room and into the living room, the silence of the house making him pause. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall, squinting to see the time in the darkness of the apartment.

The time read 3:27 am.

“Gen?”

**_If we met at midnight in the hanging tree._ **

When there came no reply, Reaper knew instantly where Geno had gone. His fiancé must have felt really bad about waking him up all the time if he was willing to go out on his own.

Reaper slipped on his shoes and left the apartment.

**_Are you, are you, coming to the tree?_ **

Geno reached his destination faster than he had hoped; he was really enjoying the silence, and the beautiful flowers.

The closer he came to the tree, the heavier the bag he brought with him felt, and the more a steady weight of reluctant acceptance settled into his gut. The tree was sturdy, picked out specifically for this purpose the last time he went out with Reaper, with the same moon flowers growing brilliantly from around its base. Their vines twisted around the roots, forming tight knots of their own, whether that was intentional or not, Geno didn’t pause to think about it.

Instead, he steeled himself and opened his bag, pulling a long hunk of rope from its depths.

**_Wear a necklace of hope side by side with me._ **

He almost felt bad, as he twisted it into its desired shape. For Reaper. His love didn’t deserve to cry, he was too beautiful for tears, and too lovely to waste them on someone like him, someone who didn’t love Reaper as wholly as he deserved.

Those thoughts of his weren’t anything new, especially as of late, but they made tying the knot that much easier.

**_Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be_ **

Reaper had been walking at a steady pace down the trail when the ticking began. It was soft, barely noticeable over the chirping of crickets, but the farther he walked the louder the noise grew, until it was sharp and shrill enough to make him wince.

He took off running without thinking.

_No…no, no…please…_

**_If we met at midnight in the hanging tree._ **

His heart was pounding furiously in his chest, the overgrown pathway causing him to stumble, but never once did he stop to catch his breath. He knew what the ticking meant, and if Geno was out here…

_Gods, he’s in trouble! I need to find him!_

When the ticking was almost unbearable, he rounded a corner and it came to an abrupt halt, along with everything else.

The crickets were silent, and there was no breeze, yet the air was frigid. He didn’t breathe, didn’t allow himself to even shift as he listened to the sound of his heart stop and shatter into a million tiny pieces.

Geno hung from the tree, an almost blissfully peaceful look on his bluing face. Reaper could only stare, not quite able to process exactly what he was seeing, until the form of his lover steadily begun crumbling to dust…

**_Are you, are you, coming to the tree…_ **

…and in his place, a single ornate hourglass fell to the ground.

**Author's Note:**

> Regardless of how rough that entire thing was, I hope you guys liked it!  
> Comments and kudos are always lovely to see! <3  
> -Maggic


End file.
